Co-host speaks out after DJ who prank called Kate Middleton’s hospital sues radio station years on from tragic suicide
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
The co-host of a radio DJ who has filed a lawsuit with his previous employer has spoken out following the 'Kate Middleton hospital prank'.
Michael Christian and his co-host, Mel Greig, were both caught up in a terrible controversy while they were working at 2Day FM radio back in 2012.
The pair took part in a prank in which they called the hospital where Kate Middleton was being treated for extreme pregnancy sickness, also known as hyperemesis gravidarum.
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At the time, Kate was pregnant with Prince George and had been admitted to the King Edward VII Hospital in London.
The two DJs pretended to be the late Queen Elizabeth II and then Prince Charles to gain access to information about the Princess of Wales.
At the time, they convinced a nurse called Jacintha Saldanha that they were the Royals.
Saldanha, 46, then transferred the call to another colleague on the ward where Kate was staying, who then disclosed private medical information to the hosts.
Sadly, after realising she had been fooled, Saldanha took her own life a few days later. It’s understood she left three handwritten notes, with one listing the royal radio hoax call as the reason for her death.
Now, over a decade on from the tragic incident and Christian has recently opened a lawsuit against 2Day FM radio station’s parent company, Southern Cross Austereo (SCA).
The lawsuit alleged the hoax call breached the Australian Communications and Media Authority code of practice and should never have been able to come to fruition.
Greig also issued her thoughts on her former colleague's lawsuit, adding on her Instagram Stories that she 'understood why Michael is choosing to go down this path'.
She added: "Whilst there are various reasons we may never be able to speak our entire truth on all that occurred, I do hope that the continued attention on this tragic incident results in substantial reforms in the way media produce content and support their staff, so that something like this never happens again.
"My thoughts and supports as always are with the Saldanha family."
Christian's lawsuit also claimed the prank call caused long-lasting damage to his career and that he'd received death threats from listeners following the incident.
The radio DJ claimed he was ‘made a scapegoat’ and is seeking penalties and compensation for his potential earnings loss and damages now that he has left his post.
The two DJs opened up about what had happened during a televised interview with Australia’s A Current Affair back in 2012.
"There’s not a minute that goes by that we don’t think about her family and what they must be going through," Greig said. "And the thought that we may have played a part in that is gut-wrenching."
"We just assumed we’d get cut off at every single point and that’d be it," Christian added. "The joke 100 percent was on us.
"The idea was never, 'Let’s call up and get through to Kate,' or 'Let’s speak to a nurse.' The joke was our accents are horrible, they don’t sound anything like who they’re intended to be."
"The entertainment value was in us," Greig continued. "It was meant to be in our silly accents. That’s where it was meant to end."
Tyla has previously reached out to Southern Cross Austereo for comment.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.
Topics: Kate Middleton, Royal Family, Australia, UK News
Lucy Devine